Red Cross Stories

Meet Hanna, a mother, an artist, and a grandmother who beams of joy. She will welcome you into her home with a warm smile - you may be surprised to learn she is 87 years old and a survivor from World War 2. Hanna was 7 years old when war broke out in Poland in September 1939. She lived with her mother, father, and three siblings. The war took everything from them.
 

Three years ago, I encountered my first winter in Canada and to this day I still remember the very first snowflake that fell on my hand. It was magical. 

However, my fascination quickly turned into horror as I found myself walking through 20 cm deep snow embraced by the minus 30°C temperature. This is how my home city, Winnipeg, jolted me into the realities of winter. Or as Winnipeggers called it, ‘Winterpeg’.

On the late afternoon of Friday, September 21, 2018, a severe Storm Watch was issued in the Woodvale area of Ottawa.  As Joe Nyenhuis, Executive Pastor, and Mark Scarr, Lead Pastor at Woodvale Pentecostal Church were discussing the need to cancel a planned event, one of the six tornadoes to hit Ottawa that day touched down right next to the church.

The James family were one of many households in Ottawa impacted by the Great Ice Storm of 1998.  They managed through the many chilly nights without power but realized they could have been more prepared. Debbie made the decision, when the time was right, to join the Canadian Red Cross. When learning how to be better prepared for disasters, she also trained to be a responder to help others. 
On September 21, 2018, when tornadoes tore through the Ottawa/Gatineau region, Debbie had volunteered with the Red Cross for 13 years. In that time, she had responded to over 100 individual emergencies and supported Canadians impacted by  large-scale disasters like the Alberta Floods and Fort McMurray Fires. 
 

When my youngest son, Kai, turned 2 years old I thought it was time to enroll him in swim classes. While checking the options available for him, I found the Red Cross Swim Preschool Program.  It looked very exciting as they use animal mascots for each level of the program and integrate songs and activities into the lessons to make it fun and engaging for kids.

Jerry proudly displays photos and news clippings from his many years as a hunting guide on the wall of his kitchen. After many snowfalls, calm has settled in the forest. It’s a very different scene than in August of 2018 when residents of Lower Post were forced to flee from their homes.

It’s International Women’s Day so let’s shine a spotlight on some inspiring women who, with barriers removed, show they can achieve amazing success. Here, we pay tribute to the many remarkable women in our organization or who have used our programs as a springboard to enlighten theirs or others’ lives. 

Since August 25, 2017, more than 700,000 people have fled violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State for Bangladesh. Dealing with a protracted crisis such as this is a complex operation, one that involves a host of different organizations. Effective coordination in the response is essential to ensure that supporting those most in need of humanitarian assistance remains the number one objective.